Chapter-HundredForty One, The Body Transfer

Chapter-HundredForty One, The Body Transfer
Zoe's POV - Part One

"We don't know where Sean is, but the war is far from over. The doors are open."

Maggie's words echoed through my mind over and over again.

The war is far from over.

The doors are open.

After everything we had just survived.

After all the deaths.

After sealing Luicen away.

After losing so many people.

How could it not be over?

My chest tightened.

Something about this didn't feel right.

Something felt wrong.

I loved Maggie.

She had been family to Lara and me for longer than most people had been alive.

But after everything we'd just been through, I couldn't simply trust what I was seeing.

Not anymore.

Not after demons.

Not after realm magic.

Not after Luicen.

"You were in Heaven, were you not?" I asked carefully.

The room became quiet.

Everyone looked between us.

My eyes never left hers.

"I love you, Aunt Maggie, but how do we know this is really you?"

A few people shifted uncomfortably.

"How do we know you're not some demon wearing her face?"

Maggie smiled sadly.

Not offended.

Not angry.

Just sad.

"Zoe."

She stepped forward slowly.

"I know exactly what you're thinking."

Her eyes softened.

"And trust me, it's really us."

I wanted to believe her.

Gods, I wanted to believe her.

But wanting something and trusting something were two different things.

"We weren't in Hell," Maggie continued.

"We were at peace."

The room remained silent.

"Until the realms started darkening."

A chill ran through me.

"We began feeling things changing."

She looked toward the ancient tunnels.

"The balance was breaking."

John moved beside her.

"The doors started weakening."

Emily nodded.

"We discovered that the doors to Heaven and Hell had cracked open."

My stomach dropped.

Cracked open?

That couldn't be good.

"There are things waiting on the other side," Maggie whispered.

"Things that want revenge."

Her voice grew darker.

"On this world."

"On the realms."

"On everyone."

Before I could reply, Maggie suddenly wrapped her arms around me.

The second she hugged me, every wall I'd built started cracking.

Her scent.

Her warmth.

Her embrace.

It was exactly the same.

Exactly.

A tear rolled down my cheek.

Then another.

Then another.

Because Maggie's hugs always reminded me of my mum.

When I was little and scared.

When I was learning magic.

When the nightmares came.

Maggie had always been there.

"Aunt Maggie..."

My voice broke.

I hated sounding weak.

But I needed answers.

"Was my family with you?"

My hands shook.

"If they were..."

I swallowed hard.

"Why didn't they come back?"

The question shattered what little control I had left.

Beside me, Lara wiped at her own eyes.

I knew exactly what she was thinking.

She wanted to ask about her parents.

The parents she'd never gotten back.

The parents she'd spent years mourning.

Before I could speak again, Lara finally found her voice.

"What about my mum and dad?"

Maggie's face immediately fell.

Tears filled her eyes.

Real tears.

The sight alone told me I wasn't going to like the answer.

She looked at Lara.

Then at me.

Then back to Lara.

"My sweet niece."

Lara's lip trembled.

"Your parents aren't in Heaven."

The entire room went silent.

Larry immediately stepped closer to Lara.

Barry moved to her other side.

Protective.

Supportive.

Their mates in every way.

Maggie sighed sadly.

"Which means they still have unfinished business."

Lara lowered her head.

I watched her shoulders shake.

My heart broke for her.

Then Maggie turned toward me.

"Zoe."

I looked up.

"Your mother and father are in Heaven."

Fresh tears spilled down my face.

"They couldn't come back."

"Why?" I whispered.

Maggie's smile was bittersweet.

"Because angels are needed above."

For several moments nobody spoke.

The grief was overwhelming.

It felt like losing them all over again.

Then Alpha Jayden cleared his throat.

"If the war isn't over, then we need to move."

Everyone looked toward him.

His eyes glowed briefly.

His wolf was right beneath the surface.

Dangerously close.

"We've already lost most of our pack."

His jaw tightened.

"I refuse to lose my mate too."

His words brought me back to reality.

Sean.

The mate nobody could find.

The mate that nobody wanted to talk about.

The mate I would tear realms apart to find.

I nodded.

"Gemma's body is this way."

Turning around, I started walking.

"The ingredients are already prepared."

I looked toward Larry and Barry.

"You'll need to help maintain the spell."

Then I looked at Lara.

"And so will you."

Nobody argued.

They simply followed.

We made our way back through the broken dungeon.

Climbing through the opening Lara had created.

One by one everyone emerged into the main corridor.

As we walked, I heard Jayden's voice behind me.

"Aunt Maggie."

The pain in his voice made me pause.

"Have you seen Asher?"

Silence followed.

"I don't understand why he isn't with you."

Maggie's face paled.

She looked genuinely upset.

"I'm sorry."

Jayden froze.

The entire corridor went silent.

"He's not in Heaven."

My stomach dropped.

Jayden looked like he'd been punched.

"But that's all I know."

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then Jayden forced himself to smile.

"Just Jayden."

He looked toward Maggie and John.

"We're family."

His voice cracked slightly.

"It's good to see you both."

Eventually we reached the hidden cell.

The one holding Gemma.

And Deadly Tree.

Placing both hands against the metal bars, I closed my eyes.

Magic stirred beneath my skin.

Ancient.

Powerful.

Hungry.

The shadows around my feet began moving.

"My power flows through darkness."

"My magic walks unseen."

"Let no eyes discover us."

"Let no ears hear us."

"Wrap this place in silence."

"Wrap this place in shadow."

"Per silentium."

"Per umbras."

"Per noctem aeternam."

"Absconde nos."

"Custodi nos."

"Silentium fiat."

Silver and black magic spread across the bars.

Ancient runes appeared.

The metal glowed.

Then every sound vanished.

Completely.

The spell had worked.

The doors slowly opened.

We stepped inside.

The moment I saw Gemma, my heart hurt.

She looked peaceful.

As though she were sleeping.

As though she wasn't trapped between life and death.

Then I looked toward the woman who had stolen her body.

Rage immediately surged through me.

Deadly Tree.

"Aurora..."

Maggie's whisper echoed through the room.

I turned sharply.

"Do you know her?"

Maggie's eyes never left Deadly Tree.

"Yes."

The room fell silent.

"She was my animal spirit."

Everyone froze.

"My sister."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"My best friend."

Nobody spoke.

The shock was too great.

"She died centuries ago."

Maggie's voice trembled.

"Luicen found her."

"Corrupted her."

"Filled her with dark magic."

More tears fell.

"The Elders hunted her."

"The Angels hunted her."

"The first and only time they ever worked together."

Even Logan looked stunned.

"It became history."

Maggie's voice broke.

"She became history."

"Luicen turned her into a weapon."

A growl erupted from Jayden.

His wolf flashed through his eyes.

"You mean this thing was created?"

Maggie nodded sadly.

"She wasn't born evil."

Jayden didn't look convinced.

"Luicen controlled her."

She wiped away her tears.

"I know what she became."

"I know what she did."

Her voice cracked.

"But I'd like to see her one last time."

I could feel the anger filling the room.

Even Emily and John looked shocked.

Clearly they hadn't known everything.

Then Larry suddenly asked the question none of us expected.

"Aunt Maggie."

She looked up.

"How old are you?"

For the first time all day, Lara and I laughed.

Even Maggie smiled.

What none of them understood was that Maggie had seen empires rise.

She had watched empires burn.

She had seen wooden villages become kingdoms.

Kingdoms become nations.

Nations become legends.

Meanwhile, Lara and I had been born during the Salem years.

The years witches were hunted.

Burned.

Hanged.

Feared.

Maggie smirked.

"I was one thousand six hundred and fifty-two years old."

The room exploded with disbelief.

"Before I died."

She shrugged.

"Magic consumed me."

"Rage took over."

Emily nearly choked.

Logan stared.

Barry blinked repeatedly.

Only John laughed.

Which told me he'd known all along.

"That's not fucking possible," Logan growled.

"How?" Larry asked.

Barry narrowed his eyes.

"And why would anyone make a demon their friend?"

His dragon pushed forward.

"Did you not think others would want that power?"

Immediately Lara grabbed both her mates' hands.

Trying to calm them.

Their wolf and dragon wanted blood.

I stepped forward.

"Enough."

The room fell silent.

"We don't have time."

I walked toward the preparation table.

"Gemma needs us."

One by one everyone moved.

The ritual began.

I picked up the chalk.

Carefully drawing an enormous star within a circle.

Ancient symbols surrounded the edges.

Lara joined me.

Together we placed the Firstborn Dragon's Light upon the northern point.

Dragon blood upon the southern point.

The newborn dragon scale upon the eastern point.

The oldest peacock feathers upon the western point.

Silver candles formed another circle.

Rare herbs were crushed and mixed together.

Everyone willingly added drops of their blood to the bowl.

The mixture glowed silver and gold.

Finally, we approached Deadly Tree.

It was time.

Time to wake the monster.

And time to save Gemma.

Or die trying.